Official Information Request - Ombudsman

Sent: Tuesday, 29 March 2022 3:44 pm
Subject: Official Information request - correspondence to the Office of the Ombudsman

I refer to your online Official Information request of 19 March 2022 for all correspondence from Rotorua Council elected and unelected officials to the Office of the Ombudsman from 1 February 2021 until 21 March 2022.

As per section 2 Interpretation of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, official information –

• Means any information held by a local authority; but
• Does not include –
  (iii) information contained in any correspondence or communication that has taken place between the office of the Ombudsmen and any local authority and that relates to an investigation conducted by an Ombudsman under this Act or under the Ombudsmen Act 1975, other than information that came into existence before the commencement of that investigation.

All correspondence held by Council from elected and unelected officials to the Office of the Ombudsman for the period 1 February 2021 to 21 March 2022 is communication relating to investigations conducted by an Ombudsman.

This correspondence is therefore withheld as per the above interpretation.